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05.24.11

Interaxon's brainwave-powered games realize Atari's forgotten dream.

Remember the Atari Mindlink? You probably don’t. It was an unreleased 1984 controller which promised hands-free, brain-powered gameplay. Now welcome to the future, where Toronto’s Interaxon has developed a series of crazily sophisticated brainwave-powered games which help people relax and focus their minds:

Interaxon, which specializes in “thought-controlled computing,” has created games that train the brain to switch between producing alpha waves, linked to relaxation, and beta waves, linked to focusing.

A gamer wears a headband with sensors that contacts his or her forehead and tries to relax or focus on demand.

What’s more: Interaxon’s CEO Ariel Garten and child psychiatrist Dr. Umesh Jain are researching the use of Interaxon games as treatment for ADD.